QUBIC × DDQIC × QFII
$1000
Pitch Prize
8
Weeks
5–7 hrs
Per Week
$30K
Phase Two
Building Toward Pitch Night
Timeline
Jan 17
Applications Open
Team formation & QFII onboarding begin
Feb 7
Kickoff Weekend
IP reveal, team matching & initial workshops
Feb–Mar
Venture Building
Weekly mentorship sessions & milestone check-ins
Mar 18
Final Pitches
Present to judges, VCs & industry leaders
Mar 25
Winners Announced
Prizes awarded & DDQIC Phase Two invitations
The Challenge
Build a real biotech venture from Queen's own IP
The QUBIC Pitch Competition is a venture-creation challenge where interdisciplinary student teams build startup concepts using real Queen's intellectual property — not hypotheticals. Participants work hands-on with emerging technologies and patented research developed by Queen's investigators.
Apply scientific reasoning, market analysis, and translational thinking to determine how discovery becomes real-world impact.
Real IP
Build a venture around real patented intellectual property from Queen’s researchers
Interdisciplinary Teams
Work with peers from science, engineering, business & health in 3–5 person teams
Business Exposure
Gain direct exposure to the business side of biotech innovation & commercialization
Career-Ready Skills
Learn skills highly valued in consulting, biotech, pharma & startup environments
All Queen's students across every discipline are welcome — no prior startup experience required. You may apply to one or both QUBIC + QFII portals; preference is given to applicants enrolled in both programs.
The Pathway
What winning looks like
Win the Pitch
Your team delivers a defensible venture pitch to a panel of judges, VCs, and industry leaders.
Advance to DDQIC Phase Two
Top teams are invited into the Dunin-Deshpande Centre’s accelerator track for continued venture development.
Launch with Support
Access ongoing mentorship from industry and biotech innovation leaders, plus a network of founders and investors.
The Founders
GridEdge
HumminGard
Liberi Exergames
NextWave
PrognoCrine
SteadiMed
The People
Keira Frosst
Co-Founder & CSO
mDETECT
Shyam Ramchandani
VP of Research
Cor-Vista Health
Amir Pahlevanpour
Director, Business Development
Ontario Centre for Innovation
Danielle Karakas
Investment Analyst
Lumira Ventures
Norman Musengimana
Business Development Manager
KEDCo
Robyn Binsfeld
Business Development
Ontario Centre for Innovation
Amy Coyle
Engineer
HAS-Motion
Anne-Vivian Scott
President & CEO
Kinarm
Arash Samimi
Founder & Managing Partner
Eliomedica Consulting
Cher Powers
Advisor
Launch Lab
Garrett Elliott
General Manager
Launch Lab
Joanna Tinus
Assistant Director
DDQIC
JP Shearer
Associate Director, CEIS
Smith School of Business
Kevin Vance
President
Fontinalis Investments
Morgan Lehtinen
Executive Director
RXN HUB
Paul Webster
CTO & President
IPG Photonics
Rafael Olvera
Director of Venture Services
RXN HUB
Scott Runte
CEO
Launch Lab
Sebastian Alamillo
Director of Strategy
RXN HUB
Simon Denford
Programs Coordinator
DDQIC
Steacy Coombs
Director of Technology Development
RXN HUB
Thomas Baldassarre
Associate Director
PHMI Queen's
Willy Chung
CEO & Thoracic Surgeon
Smart Biomedical & KGH
If this aligns with your skillset, or your ambition to learn, apply below to both the QUBIC + QFII portals. These skills will make you stand out for whatever career path you choose next.
Apply Now